Critical Lens

Benjamin Disraeli once said, “Circumstances are beyond the control of man; but his conduct is in his own power” in Contarini Fleming, 1832. What this quote is means is that there certain situations we can’t control, however we can control our actions and how we deal with the situation. This quote can be proven true in both, the play the Crucible by Arthur Miller and the book Night by Elie Wiesel. In the Crucible, John Proctor learns to deal with the Salem Witch Trials and in Night, Elie has to deal with the Holocaust. In the play Crucible by Arthur Miller, the PROTAGONIST John Proctor must deal with the woman he had an affair with and ANTAGONIST Abigail Williams. The SETTING of the book takes place in Salem, Massachusetts during the late 1600's. The plays prove the quote is true because John Proctor must deal with the mass hysteria and false accusations that occur from the Salem Witch Trials. In the middle of the play, John Proctor is faced with proving his wife Elizabeth Proctor’s innocence in court. His wife was accused of practicing witch craft by Abigail Williams, who can be CHARACTERIZED as a selfish and jealous person. John Proctor realizes there is nothing he can do is changing everyone’s mind that the Witch Trails are insane. However, he still goes to court to try to prove his wife’s innocence of not practicing witchery. Towards the end of the play, John Proctor decides to sacrifice himself for the survival of his wife and for her future. John Proctor deals with the Salem Witch Trials, because he doesn’t want to confess to crimes he never committed (witchcraft). All of these examples prove he quote true, because John Proctor couldn’t control or change what would happen in the Salem Witch Trials. However, he made decisions that he thought were appropriate like proving his wife innocence and sacrificing his own life.
In the book Night by Elie Wiesel, the PROTAGONIST Elie learns to control his actions and emotions when faced with the ANTAGONIST who were the